Financials
Bain to invest $1b in India's Axis Bank
Bain Capital Private Equity will invest INR68.5 billion ($1.05 billion) in India’s Axis Bank through a combination of equity shares and warrants that – on conversion – will give it a 4.87% stake.
Fintech funds: Treasuries apart
Investment strategies targeted exclusively at the convergence of financial services and technology have become commonplace. As competition picks up, success will depend on adopting skills and a global view
Hong Kong's WeLab raises $220m
Alibaba Group and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have led a Series B+ round of funding for Hong Kong financial technology provider WeLab.
KKR, Gaja lead $151m round for India's Avendus
KKR and Gaja Capital have led a INR9.8 billion ($151 million) investment in Avendus Capital, an Indian financial services firm owned by KKR.
Sequoia leads Series B for Singapore's Smartkarma
Sequoia Capital India has led a Series B round for Smartkarma, bringing the Singapore-based financial technology company’s total funding to $21 million.
UK fintech player gets $280m for Asia push
UK-based fintech company TransferWise has raised a $280 million round led by IVP and Old Mutual Global Investors as part of an expansion in Asia Pacific and Latin America.
VC-backed MC Payment to list in Singapore via reverse merger
MC Payment, a Singapore-based financial technology player with several VC backers, will list on the Singapore Stock Exchange's Catalist board via a reverse takeover of domestic peer Artivision Technologies.
Naspers to back Remitly expansion in India
Naspers has agreed to lead a Series D funding round of up to $115 million via its PayU unit to support an international expansion by US financial technology player Remitly, including a push into India.
VC-backed auto financing platform Yixin files for HK IPO
Yixin, the VC-backed online financing subsidiary of China-focused online automotive portal Bitauto Holdings, has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong.
Chinese financial products platform files for US IPO
Jianpu Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese VC-backed independent financial products search and recommendation platform Rong360, has filed for an IPO in the US.
US-Philippines blockchain player gets $16m Series B
A group of Asian and North American venture investors have backed a $16 million Series B round for Abra, a US financial technology company test marketing blockchain-based services in the Philippines.
SparkLabs launches $100m blockchain fund
SparkLabs Group has launched a $100 million early-stage venture capital fund that will focus on blockchain and cryptocurrency investments globally.
China's Qudian gains on debut after $900m US IPO
Qudian, a VC-backed Chinese micro-lending services provider, closed up 22% on its New York Stock Exchange debut, following a $900 million IPO.
PE-backed MAS Financial climbs 31% on trading debut
Indian PE-backed non-banking finance company (NBFC) MAS Financial Services gained 30.9% on its trading debut in India after raising INR4.6 billion ($70.9 million) in its IPO last week.
China's VC-backed PPDai files for US IPO
PPDai, a consumer finance marketplace backed by several VC investors, has become the latest Chinese company to try and take advantage of soaring public markets by filing for an IPO in the US.
Amicus invests $9.3m in India's RenewBuy
Amicus Capital Partners has made its maiden investment, committing INR600 million ($9.3 million) to Indian online insurance aggregator RenewBuy.
True North, IDG in $77m round for India's Policybazaar
Indian online financial services portal Policybazaar has raised INR5 billion ($77 million) from a group of investors led by True North, IDG Venture Partners, and US-based Wellington Management.
Gaja leads $15m round for India's Kinara
Gaja Capital Partners has led a INR960 million ($14.8 million) funding round for Indian non-banking finance company (NBFC) Kinara Capital.
Philippines fintech growth to include blockchain – AVCJ Forum
The Philippines is likely to follow the lead of other Asian markets by more closely regulating blockchain-based financial transactions as the technology becomes more integral to the country’s economy.
Hong Kong AI fintech start-up MioTech gets $7m Series A
Horizons Ventures, a private investment arm of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, has led a $7 million Series A round of funding for MioTech, a Hong Kong-based start-up that develops artificial intelligence (AI) software for the financial services sector....
Reliance Insurance files for India IPO
Reliance General Insurance, the insurance arm of India’s Reliance Capital, has filed for an IPO that will provide a partial exit for its parent.
Indonesia sees first local listing by e-commerce start-up
Online-to-offline (O2O) e-commerce business Kioson has become the first start-up to list on the Indonesia Stock Exchange following a IDR45 billion ($3.4 million) IPO.
Noah to buy back Sequoia's stake in asset management unit
Chinese wealth management firm Noah Holdings has agreed to repurchase Sequoia Capital China’s stake in its asset management unit – Gopher Asset Management - following difficulty in winning approval for the investment.
Korea bans initial coin offerings
South Korea has initiated a ban on fundraising exercises known as initial coin offerings (ICO) which involve the unregulated sale of cryptographic tokens.